Will this be the year that we see Chris Ballard and the Indianapolis Colts take some swings in free agency?
“We’ve got to be better about making sure that we identify the right free agents that can help push this team to where it needs to go,” said Ballard.
As Ballard sat in front of the media on Friday, he called his roster construction approach in 2024 a “mistake.”
Following a 9-8 season in 2023, where the Colts–again–narrowly missed out on a playoff berth following a Week 18 loss, Ballard believed that his team was trending in the right direction and ready to take that next step to being a playoff team.
That mindset then fueled his offseason approach, which consisted of running it back for the 2024 season. Ballard did not add any starters to his roster in free agency. In fact, the only outside additions made were Raekwon Davis and Joe Flacco–a rotational defensive lineman and a backup quarterback.
As Ballard described, the lack of competition on the roster was the catalyst behind the lack-luster play from this team this season, which resulted in complacency.
Adding competition throughout the roster will be objective No. 1 for the Colts this offseason. However, what does that mean for free agency? Although it did sound like this year’s failures will finally lead to change when it comes to Ballard’s offseason approach, seeing is believing at this point.
Salary cap-wise, the Colts have roughly $32 million available, according to Over the Cap, plus some rollover from the 2024 season. There are also cap-creating maneuvers that can be made to generate more space.
Just about everywhere, the Colts could justify adding to their roster, but a few positions of note where additions will have to be made include linebacker, tight end, cornerback, and safety.
Ballard also mentioned adding competition at quarterback and bolstering the offensive line depth. I also believe that adding to the running back and interior defensive line rooms should happen in some capacity as well.
With help from Pro Football Focus, who put together their early top-50 free agent big board, here is a position-by-position look at the best available free agents in 2025: